General Conference with Kids

(This post was originally posted on my other website that I've discontinued. So I decided to transfer it over, so I still have it!)

Several years ago, I was (once again) trying to find a solution to keeping my kids engaged and quiet during General Conference. 

 This idea of apple pails came quite by accident. I went to the local school supply store to see if I could get some ideas of what to do. I just happened upon these pails. Then, when I spotted the apples, an idea came! 

Maybe my kids can keep busy AND LISTEN by adding apples to the pails! Each pail could be a different Conference topic! 

After a quick trip to the bookstore for these religious picture cards and a little laminating magic, we were set!

Before General Conference begins, I tape up the pails somewhere near the TV. If I’m really on top of things, I also get a bunch of rolled tape ready for the apples. I’m sure there are better ways of doing it (e.g. magnet tape, that blue sticky stuff…), but we like low-key and easy!

The first Conference after coming up with this idea, my kids didn’t put a ton of apples on. They were used to all the coloring pages and things I had previously tried. But now, I have one anxious 8-year-old, just waiting for the pails to go up!

You can be as creative as you want to be with your version of this. Maybe flowers in a flower pot or music notes on a violin? Whatever you come up with! The idea is simply for the kids to listen enough to catch any of the key words. If they hear a key word, they put up an apple. Simple! (A nice side effect is that they don’t get antsy because they’re always getting up and down to put the apples on!)

Your keywords don’t have to match ours! In fact, I’m thinking of revamping ours. But here’s what they are right now: 

Purple = Jesus Christ or Heavenly Father

Red = prophets

Pink = temples and family

Yellow = baptism and scripture stories

Green = missionary work

Blue = Joseph Smith; scriptures; Church history

(basically, whatever the kids say it is!)

If you’re lucky, by the end of Conference (or each session, if you have a kid like mine!), your pails will be covered in apples and your kids will have a stronger testimony!

Isn't Life Interesting?

Today, I came to Blogger to decide if I should start yet another blog, to document my studies. As a homeschool mom, learning is important to me. My girls all have their own blogs where we document their studies. But a couple of weeks ago, I realized that all my good intentions to keep learning new things don't really happen if I don't document them. When I write things down, it keeps me aware of them.

So I started writing down my own studies, in addition to that of my children. And now I need a place to document them permanently. (Instead of overflowing my notebook with loose papers!)

However, I got on Blogger and realized this blog was in my list. Wait, where did that come from? I literally don't ever remember creating this blog or writing any of the previous posts! At all! And yet, those posts were exactly what I needed to hear today. I'm so glad I wrote them two years ago.

That leaves me with the question of what I'm going to do with this blog in the future. I know myself well enough to not create any expectations or goals for myself. The second anyone, including myself, tells me to do something, I don't want to do it! I'm a rebel like that.

But I'm glad I rediscovered this blog - this little idea I had two years ago. I'll be glad for the reminder to keep working on who I am, not necessarily on what I'm doing. Even in my studies, I need to remember that I'm studying in order to become better. I don't want to just dump knowledge into my brain. I need to do something with it.

And where will I document my studies? Actually, I have another blog for education stuff. It'll go there! :)